At least nineteen people have died at the hands of a madman with an assault style weapon in Canada’s deadliest mass shooting in history. The casualties included a police officer who reported to the scene of the shooting. Law enforcement says that they expect the death toll to rise.

The gunman himself was impersonating a police officer and also disguised his car to look like a police cruiser. He went on to rampage a Nova Scotia neighborhood for 12 hours, fatally shooting civilians as well as setting fire to properties. The police Chief Superintendent said: “We’re relatively confident we’ve identified all of the crime scenes. We believe there may be victims still within the remains of those homes which burnt to the ground.”

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, commented on the unexpected terror that “happened in small towns: Portapique, Truro, Milford, and Enfield” describing these towns as “places where people have deep roots, places where people know their neighbors and look out for one another.” While he has said that Canada, as a nation, is mourning with these towns, he must also take political action to prevent future tragedies. Sign this petition to urge Trudeau to legally ban assault style weapons in Canada.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

In the wrong hands, assault style weapons can wreak absolute havoc. While mass shootings have not been a commonality in Canada, your country now mourns the loss of at least nineteen lives that were taken in the Nova Scotia mass shooting. This marks the deadliest mass shooting in Canada’s history.

While many issues could have contributed to the mental state of the gunman, one thing is certain: his weapon of choice contributed to the sheer violence of his attack. That weapon was an assault style rifle. While Canada mourns, it also must create reforms to ensure that carnage like this never happens again. I urge you to legally ban all assault style weapons in Canada.